A New Meaning
by meechkapeach
Summary: Another look into the past. A telling of the life and love of Lloyd's parents. KratosxAnna
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1**

Could it be true? The seraph looked out the large window in his room. Was Mithos truly trying to bring about an age of lifeless beings? How could he have been so blind? It irked him that Yuan was right. The half-elf had picked up on Mithos' crazy schemes long before Kratos did. Yuan went on and on about how Mithos was going against Martel's wishes. Kratos cursed himself for being so naive and defending Mithos. But they were friends… they promised they would always be Mithos' side. This, however, was too much. And Kratos knew this. Mithos had purposely hid the facts, but it shouldn't have been so hard to put together. Kratos knew that he had to confront Mithos. He looked at himself in his reflection and examined himself. Over four-thousand years old and he still maintained his youthful appearance of a man in his early thirties. He stood with his arms crossed in his white and blue uniform and his hair all messy covering part of his face. What had become of him? He looked out to the world beneath him and thought about all the suffering that he had allowed. He was not ignorant to what had already been happening but now it was going too far. He decided he had to confront Mithos now or he would never atone for his sins. Kratos walked through the familiar halls of Derris-Kharlan to Mithos' room.

When he entered Mithos was in his adult form sitting with his feet on the table and his arms stretched behind his head looking to the ceiling. "Hello friend," he said without taking his eyes off the ceiling. Kratos shifted uneasily as he knew his old friend would not take this news well. Mithos seemed to sense his hesitation and sat normally. "What's wrong?" he returned to his child form. His blonde hair swept to the side revealing his innocent-looking blue eyes. Kratos had to mentally steel himself. When he saw Mithos like this, it always reminded him of their past, thousands of years of memories and friendship. Mithos knew he could manipulate his friends when he looked like this. Any loyalty to Martel always prevailed when he maintained this form.

"Mithos, I have some… concerns," Kratos managed.

"Well certainly we can talk about this, sit." He kicked the chair next to him back and instructed Kratos to sit. He obeyed and stiffly sat slowly. "How can I ease your mind?"

"Mithos. Do you remember our goal and promise to Martel?" Kratos asked after a pause. Mithos looked hurt at Kratos' question.

"Kratos, what do you think I am doing? Martel wished for a world without discrimination-"

"By turning everyone into angels? I realize now what you're really after," Kratos interrupted him. Mithos looked taken aback only for a moment but explained, "Kratos this is the only way."

"It's wrong," Kratos said sternly.

Mithos stared at Kratos measuring him up with his eyes. He then sat back and brought his hands together. Kratos remained his stern expression and met his eyes in silence. "Kratos… there can be no world without discrimination. Haven't we already tried that?! This is the only way!" His voice got louder toward the end and he was standing now. "I am going to bring the age of lifeless beings so that everyone is the same. No more discrimination! Look how half-elves are treated to this day! Kratos we have been dealing with this for thousands of years. It is not going to change otherwise. Martel would have wanted this."

"No she would not want people to be getting hurt- she would look for another way," Kratos maintained his composure. He couldn't help but see where Mithos was coming from. All those years ago before they were powerful enough to step away from it all, they had seen all kind of discrimination and fought in the ancient war for the very same reasons.

"Kratos, do you not trust me?" Mithos got closer and lowered his voice but this did not disguise the intensity with which he spoke. "After all these years? All those promises- did they mean nothing?!"

Kratos felt a pain of guilt and looked away. "No, but it is because of those promises that I can no longer support you."

Mithos' face fell. He suddenly looked like the child he was. "You… you're leaving me?" he asked incredulously. "Please Kratos… don't lose hope! We can do this! It's only a matter of time!"

Kratos stood and turned to walk away. "No! Stop! You won't leave me! You can't leave me! NO ONE has sacrificed more than I! NO ONE has lost more than I! We've tried every way… haven't I lost enough?" His voice calmed to almost a whisper. Kratos made his way to the door when suddenly a transmission came in from Lord Kvar.

"Lord Yggdrasil, I think we have found a very promising subject," Kvar said with devious excitement. Mithos turned sharply annoyed at the interruption. Kvar looked surprised, "I apologize for interrupting my lord. But you might want to see this…"

Mithos transformed into his adult form and let out his wings. "Kratos, look."

Kratos breathed in deeply and turned to the screen. He was mildly surprised to find desian officers bringing a subject into the room Kvar had been observing. Kratos watched in silence. "This is subject A012. Prepare to commence," a desian man said. Some men were getting supplies together, others were strapping the subject to the examination table. She was a frail young woman with long brown hair. She looked scared and fought back against the men who were bounding her. One man came from behind her and gagged her which made her freak out more and scream. She could no longer fight back much as she had been strapped. Kratos grew more disgusted as he watched but did not say a word.

Kvar spoke, "A012 has been very susceptible to our treatments my lord. I believe she is the perfect subject for the Angelus Project." Yggdrasil simply looked on looking for proof of the worth of these words. They gave her something through a shot and her panicked muffled screams were like knives to Kratos, pushing his guilt deeper and deeper. This medication calmed her down a little but her eyes still shifted watching every movement of the men in doctor uniforms and her breathing was getting faster. "We are ready, Lord Kvar," one man said who looked up at the room from which Kvar was observing. Kvar turned to face the screen waiting for Yggdrasil's order. Yggdrasil turned to Kratos, "I told you we were almost there friend." He turned and nodded to Kvar who gave the order to commence.

Kratos could not see well because the men were blocking the view from his angle but he saw the men pull out tools and start working on the subject. He could hear her muffled screams. Kratos left his drop jaw when he saw one man turn and pick up a crystal with tongs and turned. The cry of agony was unlike any other he had ever heard. There was a light that shone around the table and desian soldiers from around the room tensed up and pointed their weapons at the subject fearing that the experiment took a turn for the worse. Even the doctors took a step back, blinded by the light. The subject writhed in pain and arched her back in pain screaming so loud the gag no longer muffled her pain. The light faded and after a moment the subject dropped to the table lifeless.

The men in the room stood shocked and Kratos sighed and turned to walk away.

"We will succeed Kratos…" Yggdrasil said.

"I am sorry Mithos," Kratos said with sorrow in his heart because for the first time in a long time he allowed himself to feel pain. He knew somewhere he was doing the right thing, but after so many years he was turning his back on his former student, friend and companion. It was harder than he expected… the memory of Mithos' words stung. Just as he was about to reach the door there was a beep. Kratos' heart stopped and he turned. The beep regulated and slowly established a normal pattern.

"I don't believe this…" he heard Kvar say. Yggdrasil drew closer as if getting closer would make it real. The beeping was the monitor on subject A012. She was alive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

"I knew it!" Kvar exclaimed. "No one has survived this process, until now!" Kvar was almost giddy with excitement.

"Good work Kvar," Yggdrasil beamed. "Monitor the girl and keep me updated."

"Very well, my lord." Kvar answered. Men were already moving around the subject. The restraints hadn't allowed her to move much but they stretched enough to have allowed her to shift a little. Her hand hung off the side and didn't move. If not for the monitor, Kratos would have sworn she was dead. Seeing her like this, he felt like he had received a blow to the gut. He could bear no more. Thankfully the transmission shut off and he turned back again to walk away. "See?" he heard Mithos' voice say.

"Good-bye, old friend," he said softly.

"I will do this with or without you, Kratos. Kratos!" He heard Mithos call as the door shut behind him. Kratos leaned back on the door and took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"You alright?" he heard Yuan's familiar voice ask. He ignored him for a moment trying to collect himself. He knew Yuan hadn't left so he eventually said, "you were right." He opened his eyes slowly and gauged the expression of his half-elf friend. "This isn't what Martel would have wanted," Kratos said simply. He could tell Yuan was slightly shocked as her registered the gravity of what Kratos was saying. He simply nodded fully understanding Kratos' meaning.

"I'm sure we will meet again," Kratos said with a slight smirk and walked past his blue-haired friend. He heard Yuan turn to watch him walk away. He secretly knew that Yuan had been heading the Renegade movement and Yuan knew it. He did not reveal this to Mithos out of respect and knew that, though they did not always see eye to eye, Yuan would repay the favor. Kratos walked for what seemed an eternity. His mind reeled at what he had seen. His worst fears had been confirmed. Mithos really was going through with this idea. That, plus his obsession with reviving Martel left Kratos speechless. He did not know what he could do but he knew he had to leave this place. Then he thought of the girl. The first survivor. Maybe if he could help her somehow…free her. Perhaps then he could finally do something right and begin to atone for his sins.

Thinking of the subjects' screams he grew more and more furious and sure that this was the place to start. He descended from Derris-Kharlan to Sylvarant, something he had not done often, and certainly not from his own will. He flew down in the direction of Kvar's ranch. He landed just outside the ranch in a dense forest. He immediately looked up hearing the sound of an alarm in the distance. Kratos stood slowly and leaned his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was trying to decide whether he should just waltz in and request to see the subject or sneak her out. He chose to get there first and then decide what to do. Kratos had never really done anything like this. He felt rebellious and lonely all at the same time. He was not fond of allowing so many emotions. After so long, he had become an expert of blocking things out and remaining rational about everything. In fact, as he walked he had to keep reminding himself that this was something he needed to do, however selfish the reason. He heard crack in the bushes that stopped him in his tracks. He walked toward the bush slowly peering behind picking up the sound of quick breathing. When got closer a figure jumped out and held out a sword with a shaky hand. The figure was still in the shadows so he could not see the face but from the looks of it, it looked like a subject from the human ranch.

"Stay away from me!" the voice shrieked. Kratos was surprised to hear a woman's voice. After a considering this situation a moment he stepped back which lead the subject forward. Kratos was taken aback momentarily when he saw the brown haired young woman.

"A012," he whispered.

"I said stay away from me!" she hastily swung the sword.

"I do not wish to harm you," he reassured. It pained him to see the panicked look on her face. Her hair stuck to her sweaty face and she breathed heavily like she had been running as fast as she could. She stooped down quickly and picked up a rock and threw it at Kratos. When he caught it without much effort she gasped and broke to run. He caught up with her quickly and grabber her arm. She struggled to break free.

"I can help you get away. The Desians will be catching up any moment. Trust me!" Kratos said quickly in an earnest but soft voice. The exsphere on her collarbone shone and she broke free and continued to run. He pulled out his wings and landed in front of her.

She screamed in shock took a step back, "who are you?!"

"That's not important now," Kratos looked past A012 hearing that Desians were drawing near. It was close enough for her to hear too and she turned and pointed her sword at the trees. She swallowed deeply when she heard shouts and suddenly felt so weak. The adrenaline had kept her moving but now fear was settling in. There was no way she was going to get away from them, especially not with this interruption. He looked the type that could probably take her down in an instant and yet here he was knowing exactly who she was and still offering to help. She turned quickly and pointed the sword in his face hoping to scare him, "if you're lying … I swear I will kill you."

Kratos merely nodded and lowered her sword with the tip of his finger. "I'm going to get you away from here. Hold on," he stepped closer and wrapped one arm around her waist. She gasped when he squatted down and jumped into the air. She felt her stomach drop as his wings beat the air raising them higher. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as tightly as she possibly could so that her head was right next to his. She realized she no longer had her sword and squirmed around to look down and saw it glisten on the floor. She let out a squeal when she saw how high they were getting. Kratos couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "don't look down."

"Mmhmm!" she held onto his neck again and was pretty sure she was choking him but he did not complain. She closed her eyes until she felt them lowering. They hadn't been in the air for long but she could tell they made a long enough distance. They seemed to stop for a little while Kratos decided which way to go. He pushed his body forward in a direction but she did not feel comfortable looking at. They landed softly and Kratos put away his wings. She slowly peeled herself off of him and took a weak step back. He held her by the elbows to help steady her. It had been a long time since he had done this and was not sure how well she was going to take it. She stayed looking at the floor for a little while she composed herself. "Thank you," she breathed. She looked up at him slowly. She searched his face for any trace of expression and waited for him to say something. He simply nodded and looked back. She pulled away and took a wobbly step back and pointed, "I meant what I said. Your fancy wings won't be able to help you." Kratos noticed she was about to fall and caught her before she hit the ground. He scooped her up and walked over to a cave he knew should be nearby. Kratos did not respond but she kept talking.

"Don't underestimate me! I just need…. I need some rest and then I'll be just fine," she felt so weak and was sounding drunk. She was trying to stay awake to see where this strange man was taking her but she couldn't defend against the overbearing darkness that had come over her- she was tired and sore. She kept mumbling but Kratos was almost certain that she was no longer conscious. He saw the cave up ahead by the stream and entered it. It was not deep enough for animals to be lurking but it was enough for good cover. He lowered the girl as gently as he could to the floor and propped her up against the wall. He looked at her for a moment having lost all of the fire she had when they had met moments ago. It seemed the events of the day were finally taking their toll. Still, she was stronger than he imagined if she was able to escape. With these concerning thoughts, he got up to gather wood for a fire and let her rest.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A012 took in a deep breath and smelled something unusual in the air. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She panicked for a second realizing she was in a cave meaning that her horrible dream was in fact reality. She found her red haired companion stroking a fire. It seems he was cooking some sort of small animal, maybe a rabbit. She felt so weak but managed to sit up and lean on the wall. A blanket that was covering her fell and pooled on her lap. She didn't remember having a blanket. Her rescuer must have given it to her and put her 'to bed' as well as he could in this cave. It seemed like a really kind gesture from a man who looked like he was not able to be so gentle. Then again, he was helping her. He stared into the fire ignoring her gaze though he had known she was awake the moment she stirred. With the light of the fire on his face she was finally able to get a good look at him. He was actually very handsome. He had crazy red hair that covered half of his face which made him mysteriously appealing. He had deep auburn eyes and thin lips with a pointy jaw. He had taken off his sword and let it lean against the wall. _It seems he didn't take my threats seriously _she thought smugly. He startled her when he suddenly got up and picked up a bowl and brought it over to her leaving it her next to her. She looked at the bowl and then back at her companion who continued tending to the cooking and fire.

"Thank you," she managed. She was not sure what to make of him. She kept watching him. Just what was he doing in that forest…? How did he know she was going to be there? And how did he know her? The night before she was reluctant to trust him but she did so in order to survive. Now, though he was helping her, she had a lot of unanswered questions. He simply nodded when she thanked him so she got the feeling he was not the talkative type. She really was grateful for his help despite her doubts. He was a strong man; she could tell by the way his uniform emphasized the lean muscles in his arm. She felt safe with him but that was probably because he was kind and extremely handsome. It had been a while since she had seen a man like him. The men in the ranch were either plain looking or old. Plus this man had wings. _Stop it! _She scolded herself. What was she doing? She had no idea who this man was and had to put her guard up, she did not know what his intentions were.

"You can stop staring at me," he said without looking at her. She felt heat rush into her cheeks and looked away. How the heck did he do that? "Sorry," she apologized.

"Eat," he said meeting her eyes for the first time. She looked to the bowl and picked it up slowly examining the contents. There was a piece of bread and some berries. "Where did you get this?" she looked back at him. It had been a long time since she had food that wasn't the oatmeal mush they served at the ranch.

"I found a merchant caravan while I was hunting and got some bread and that blanket," he responded matter-of-factly. She did not know why put she felt tears fill up her eyes. She blinked them away quickly resolving not to cry in front of the stranger. Instead she picked up a berry and let it explode in her mouth. It was so sweet and she closed her eyes to treasure the flavor. She grabbed another without even fully chewing the first berry. "Hmmm!" she sounded in delight. She opened her to see him staring at her now. He was totally judging her. Suddenly a realization came to her and she spat out the berries. To her surprise her companion actually looked confused.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" she squealed.

He looked down and shook his head. "Those are not poisonous…"

"Are you sure!? How do I know!? Why aren't you having any?!" she was pushing back against the wall. Kratos had no need of food... but he couldn't exactly tell her that or at least not yet. Instead he came over and sat on her side of the fire and leaned to grab one and popped it in his mouth. The whole time she was eyeing him from the corner of her eye.

"Not poisonous," he said proving his point. He had forgotten what these tasted like. He never really wanted to eat but since he was on earth he might as well indulge. She was still eyeing him but continued to eat. Now that she was sitting kind of behind him she was not afraid of him judging how much she enjoyed real food. When she was done she leaned forward and tapped his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to acknowledge her but did not say anything.

"My name is Anna…," she told him. He turned his body so that he was half facing her. She continued, "you called me A012 earlier… that's not my name. It's Anna."

Of course. How rude of him he thought. "… Kratos," he offered.

"Kratos," she repeated. "Sorry for thinking you were going to poison me, Kratos."

He nodded again. He moved closer to the fire to take the rabbit off and started to cut it and gave her a portion. The rest he let cool so he could wrap it for later. It probably would not last long but he hoped he could get away with having her eat it later. He hadn't needed to worry about eating for a while; he kept forgetting how these things worked. He decided she might want something to drink. He got up to go fill a canteen hoping the water was clean in the nearby stream.

"You're not gonna eat?" she questioned with a full mouth.

"Ah… already ate," he patted his stomach. _Four thousand years ago…_ he mused to himself. The more he thought about this the more he realized he had no idea what he was doing. Still, he walked out of the cave and scooped up some water from the stream. Kratos felt he should tell her the truth but knew that it would never make sense or she would think he was crazy and try to run away. He decided he would hold off for a little. No need to go scaring her. He walked back to the cave thinking of where to go next. She needed clothes so she could get out of her filthy outfit which probably meant a bath as well. When he came back inside he was astonished to see that she had finished eating the whole rabbit…including the part that was cooling. He looked at the empty piece of cloth and let out a sigh.

"Was that yours?" she asked like a scolded child. He shook his head and added more food to his mental list of things to get. He sat next to his sword against the wall and inspected it. He liked to sharpen and clean it when he had nothing to do. He looked over at his companion and felt that she was still staring at him. He began to think maybe he had something on him or she just liked to stare. He resumed his task. If she wanted to ask something he was sure she would.

"What's your story…Kratos," she asked after picking her teeth.

"…My story?" He responded not looking up from his chore.

"Yeah, why are you helping me?" she asked.

Something came to him and he had a question of his own, "hmmm, how did you escape the ranch?"

"Uh-huh, I asked first," she said.

He looked up at the girl with a raised eyebrow, "fair enough. What would you like to know?"

She sat up and felt stupidly excited. She had come up with several crazy stories in her head about him already. "Hmm, how did you know who I was? And what were you doing in that forest?"

Kratos looked back to his task and tried to plan out how to explain. "To the latter question… I was looking you."

She looked at him skeptically but he continued "I work with the desians. I heard of the Angelus Project and wanted to stop it."

She looked down and brought her hand to her chest feeling for the exsphere and crystal. Kratos' eyes followed her hand. He remembered hearing her pain and wondered how she felt.

"They put a crystal in me… I am a host body for it," she explained slowly with a hint of sadness in her voice. He nodded. "So… you betrayed them?" she asked now even more curious.

"Yes, I suppose I did."

"Won't that get you in trouble?!"

"Your turn to answer," he said looking away from the exsphere.

"Hmph! Well… if you must know," she responded, though his answers did not exactly satisfy her curiosity. "After the … procedure… when I awoke I knew that they had succeeded. Whatever they were trying to do in that ranch… all those people… they were winning. I couldn't let that be. When they were transferring me I was able to break free and I grabbed one of the soldiers' weapons and fought them off. I knew I couldn't take on too many so I ran. I had been taken for experiments many times and I always paid attention so I had a pretty good map in my head. I had planned to use it for escape a long time ago but I was too late. Anyway… this was my last chance. I was able to lose them and climbed into a ventilation shaft. I hid for a while but I knew I had to get out. I was able to climb out onto the roof… which now that I think about it, I am quite proud of that. Once on the roof I heard men searching for me. I was able to jump off to a tree and I climbed down. I don't think they thought I would make it outside so that gave me a bit of a heads start. I ran faster than I ever have or thought possible. I didn't stop until I felt I had a good enough lead. I hid behind those bushes to catch my breath and that's when I saw you … land."

"I see," he said after taking in what she had said. She waited for him to say more but he did not. Instead, he put away his sword and stood to put it back on wrapping the belt around his waist. "Can you walk?" He asked.

She was a little surprised. She tells her whole story and that's his response? Still, she considered his question. She felt better after eating but replied, "Maybe. Not for long."

Kratos looked out the cave as if waiting for someone. "Come," he came over and helped her up. "I'll help you. We can meet a friend who can help." Kratos knew he could count on his protozoan, Noishe. It did not seem practical for Kratos to fly her around everywhere and it did not seem fair to make her travel after her ordeal. Also Kratos was sure Noise would appreciate a new friend since Kratos was not always the best company. Still, Noishe was a loyal friend. Kratos kicked some dirt in the fire and wrapped one of Anna's arms around his neck so that he was carrying most of her weight, which was not much at all. And so their journey began.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I should say the obvious… I don't own ToS or these characters. If you like this or have comments or thoughts, please review! Please and thank you! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Kratos managed to help Anna out of the cave but soon after she collapsed in his arms. "I guess I can't walk," she said already out of breath.

"I see," he responded and scooped her into his arms. She grasped but wrapped her arms around his neck and blushed at their nearness. "You sure know how to treat a lady," she said jokingly looking at him. From this angle she could actually see both of his red-brown eyes under his auburn hair. She could feel his firm body against her and his strong arms holding her up. His pace never slowed and did not seem much bothered by carrying another human. She looked ahead, "where are you taking me by the way?"

"There is a house of salvation nearby… you could get cleaned up and get a much better rest," he replied.

"Like on a real bed…?"

He looked at her to be sure she was serious, "well, yes."

"Oh thank the goddess! We had miserable cots at the ranch if we were lucky enough! But you knew that, right?"

Kratos cringed every time Martel's name was being used as a deity but by now he was already used to it. Honestly Kratos never paid too much attention to the ranches, let alone their accommodations. Nevertheless, he felt ashamed once more.

"Say, how long did you work for the Desians?" she asked.

"I said I worked _with_ the Desians… and it has been a very long time," he responded.

"Ah, makes sense… you're human right?" she questioned seeking confirmation.

"Indeed I am," he said. _Though I don't feel like one._

"So how does a human go about getting wings, eh?"

"I'd rather not talk about that now. In fact, do not mention that to anyone. I do not wish to be recognized," he continued.

"Hmmm, alright!" she felt she should respect this wish after all he was sort of on the run too. Kratos was relieved to have silence. He was not comfortable with this woman. It had been a while since he had real human contact. It did not help that he always felt her curious gaze on him. He could not bring himself to tell her the truth. Her very presence was a constant reminder of his failures.

The silence did not last, "So! What does your wife think of this? Rescuing damsels in distress?" She could not stand the silence. While her companion seemed to be used to it, she was not. At the ranch they were not allowed to talk during work but stole every other opportunity to whisper and share with the others. It was the only way they retained their humanity even if it cost them a beating. Kratos looked to the woman in his arms flabbergasted at her question, "I… I don't have a wife."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh I see… boyfriend?"

"No!" he replied, annoyed. Anna threw her head back and laughed. Kratos was amazed to find a smile creep on his face. This woman made him smile! There was something about the sound of her laugh that he enjoyed and was infectious. He quickly put it away and donned his usual stoic face.

She was still laughing, "I'm just kidding with you! Lighten up will you? You look so serious!"

"Hmph," was all he responded.

"Alright well will you please tell me more about you? I am being taken away by some stranger. If I had the strength… would you just ease my mind please?" Kratos kept looking forward, "very well."

"Where are you from?"

Another question he could not answer directly. Most people in Sylvarant did not know about Tethe'ala or thought it a legend.

"Next question," he replied after a pause.

"Seriously?!" she was starting to get frustrated by his secrecy. His initial charm was starting to wear off. _No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend- he's a jerk._

"Please Anna, I will explain everything. Just not now," he looked at her.

She noticed a pain in his eyes that she hadn't noticed before. She let out a heavy sigh, "fine. Promise me that you're not a crazy murderer?"

"I am not," Kratos reassured her though this was a lie. Kratos had allowed thousands to die by supporting Mithos.

"So we are supposed to travel in silence?" she wondered. This was like being back at the ranch. _How annoying._

Kratos had not counted on her being so friendly or at least so curious. He cursed himself and kept reminding himself why he was doing this.

"I guess it was hard to betray your work? Even if it was for the right reasons? Sorry for bringing it up," she suspected. _Maybe he is a big softie._

No one had ever apologized to Kratos in fear of hurting his feelings. It was almost comedic to him for her to say or think that. "You do not need to apologize."

"Hmm, ok." Anna was silent for a bit thinking about what had happened the night before. "Is this going to kill me?"

Kratos looked to Anna and noticed she had her hand to her chest where they had done the procedure. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really… it's strange. I just feel tired and sore yet with like… electricity running through me. It was because of this I was able to escape."

"Hmm," he looked forward. He could see the house of salvation just ahead. Part of him was excited at the prospect of some silence while she slept.

He did not answer her question. She tried to console herself by assuming maybe he did not know. Still, she could not shake the idea that he knew a lot more than he let on. Was this really what her life was going to amount to? Slavery? Experiments? Finally being able to escape after it was already too late? She thought of the family she always wished she would have and of the family she left when she was taken to the ranch. She wondered if she could ever see her mother again and return to Luin. A few tears betrayed her and leaked out of her eye. She sniffed and pulled her hand away from his neck to wipe her face. He looked down astonished. _Why was she crying?_

"It takes a while for it to evolve," he said. She looked up at him with watery eyes. He hadn't noticed but they were beautiful round brown eyes. He felt the need to calm her further, "you won't be dying for a long time." Why did he say that? There was no way he could guarantee that… but he figured this is what a normal person would say.

"Promise?" she kept looking up at him.

Kratos nodded not trusting his voice. "Here we are."

Anna looked forward and saw a small looking building with some people walking around it, mostly travelers or pilgrims taking a rest. Anna let out a relieved breath thinking of the nice warm bed promised her.

"Should we have a story?" she ventured when they got closer and people started to notice a tall handsome man carrying a frail woman in ragged clothes. "Say you found me collapsed in the forest…should I act faint?" Kratos chuckled at her over eagerness. There it was again. He walked in and asked for a place to stay. The man that helped them seemed very concerned about Anna and had his wife draw a bath for her. Kratos thanked him and paid him in advance.

"I'll return when you're done," Kratos told her walking out quickly as soon as he saw the bath and clothes being laid out.

"You're a very lucky young woman," the wife said enthusiastically.

"Hmm?" Anna said shaking as she was taking off her ragged clothes. It had been ages since she had a proper bath. Her dirty skin felt cold when confronted with the fresh air.

"Your man is quite a catch," the lady chuckled. "I remember when my husband looked like that! Seems like a million years ago."

Anna laughed, "he's not too bad I guess… your husband, I meant."

The lady laughed louder, "Sure…" The lady finished pouring the water and helped Anna into the bath.

"I'll go make some food for you both. Holler if you need anything, ya hear?"

"Thank you!" Anna called and submerged her whole body under the water. After washing herself thoroughly she let herself soak and decided to really enjoy it. She hummed as she dried herself and put on the clothes the couple had given her. She sat in front of the mirror and combed through her hair. _This is going to take forever_ her hair was so knotty. Anna stopped when she heard a slight knock on the door.

"Anna?" Kratos called. He wanted to make sure she was decent before entering. He thought of how many awkward moments a man and a woman might have while traveling.

"You can come in," she called out. Kratos, even though she gave permission, opened the door slowly and waited until he confirmed that it was ok before fully entering.

"You look nice," she said taking in his new outfit. It was a purple mercenary outfit. Apparently he enjoyed form fitting clothes. _That's alright with me_ she thought, it suited him. He leaned his sword against the table and dropped some items on the bed. Anna turned in her chair to see but continued to comb her hair.

"As… do you," he said stupidly after taking in her new clothes and fresh, flowery scent. He turned away quickly to mentally chide himself without her seeing. He went to open a window as an excuse not to look at her. He was sure she probably did not notice but he was not used to this. It was as if his mouth spoke without his brain telling him to. Kratos sighed and regained himself.

"Thanks! I feel great!" she smiled. It was a nice smile he thought. She looked genuinely happy and he noticed a little sparkle in her soft eyes. "Hey what do you think if I cut my hair?"

"Why?" he shot up answering too quickly.

"… you like it?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, it is nice hair… I suppose," Kratos needed to get out of the room. He was so unused to being alone with a woman.

"Well it could help disguise me, you know?"

"Makes sense. Go for it," he said cooly.

Anna gathered all her hair and came up to Kratos, "will you cut it off?"

Pause, "No."

Anna sighed and grabbed a dagger from the bed that he had brought in and moved in front of the mirror. She paused, taking her image in for the last time. _This will be a good change… _She cut off the hair and let the rest hang. It was not perfectly straight but it was decent. She tried to even everything out until she had it perfectly shoulder length. She felt like a new person. The cut suited her. She turned and beamed at her silent partner, "what do you think?"

"….Still nice," he said. She looked fresh and though she was still on the slim side, a little more alive. She turned and smiled at her reflection. "Thanks," she never thought she would feel pretty again but in this instance, she did. She sighed, releasing her excitement and felt the weakness come back.

"You should eat something," Kratos said helpfully.

"Nah, I think I'll sleep first. Is this for me?" She pointed at the bed. She noticed there was only one, "what about you? Are you going to sleep?"

"Maybe," he said. "But I am fine here; do not worry."

She did not wait for any further permission and got into the bed. It was still daylight outside but she figured she should take advantage of this opportunity. Immediately she felt her lids heavy. She thought about where they would be going tomorrow and started to say something but trailed off into sleep. Kratos looked to her to see if she would finish her sentence but then heard the slow rhythm of her breathing. He remembered a time in his youth when he could sleep like that.


End file.
